Alex's Asteroid Astrology

The 2020 Academy Awards are already upon us! Weeks earlier than usual this year, the Oscars will be presented on Sunday, February 9, at 5 PM PST in Los Angeles. We’re fortunate to have a large number of nominees with exact PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) matches to represent them; two of the contenders even have asteroids named specifically for them! By placing these in the chart for the 92^nd Academy Awards, we can rate the chances of their terrestrial counterparts, pinpointing who may walk off with Oscar gold, and who has to rasp out, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.”

 

Contacts with the Sun and the Angles are generally fortuitous, and this year, with the Sun at 20 Aquarius conjoined the Descendant at 15 Aquarius, some of that mojo is doubled. Add asteroid Academia at 22 Aquarius (for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, which sponsors the awards), also conjunct the Sun, and we’ve got a triple threat of winning potential for nominees whose PNAs connect.

 

Tapping into this is asteroid Antonia, in the thick of it at 21 Aquarius. This represents two nominees, Antonio Banderas, cited as Best Actor for his role as Salvador Mallo in “Pain and Glory”; and Anthony Hopkins, up for Best Supporting Actor as Benedict XVI in “Two Popes”. Hopkins’ cause is further bolstered by asteroid Hopkins at 26 Sagittarius, closely conjunct Mars at 25 Sag, which may fuel his candidacy. Hopkins has been nominated four times previously, winning Best Actor in 1992 as Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs” (in which he had 16 minutes of screen time).

 

Also in the Best Supporting Actor category is Brad Pitt, nominated for his portrayal of Cliff Booth in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, whose eponymous asteroid Bradpitt squares the Sun from 17 Scorpio, where it conjoins asteroid Oskar at 16 Scorpio, and broadly conjoins the IC at 8 Scorpio. This could give Pitt the juice he needs for that elusive Oscar (nominated three times previously, Pitt has never won an acting award, but did take home a golden statuette as producer of “12 Years a Slave” in 2014). With Hopkins and Pitt up for the same award, given similar cosmic connections, it’s hard to say who has the edge, but Bradpitt, as so personal to his terrestrial namesake, and conjoined Oskar, might win the day.

 

Other nominees with strong solar contacts include Kathy Bates, up as Best Supporting Actress for her turn as Bobi Jewell in “Richard Jewell”, the biopic of the accused Olympic bomber, with asteroid Bateson (for Bates) at 10 Aquarius, conjunct both the Sun and Descendant (and squared Oskar), and asteroid Kathy at 9 Taurus, on the 8 Taurus MC (opposing Oskar). Asteroid Kathleen, Kathy’s given name, also squares the Sun from 24 Taurus. But it’s not alone there – also at that degree is asteroid Ronan, representing Saoirse Ronan, nominated as Best Actress for her portrayal of “Little Women”’s Jo March.

 

Two other actresses are contenders for the solar nod, Scarlett Johansson and Margot Robbie. Johansson is nominated in two categories: as Best Actress for portraying Nicole Barber in “Marriage Story” and Best Supporting Actress as Rosie Betzler in “Jojo Rabbit”. Asteroid Scarlatti (for Scarlett) at 17 Libra is stationary and trine the Sun and Academia; it turns retrograde the very day of the Oscars, an incredibly powerful position. Johansson is also represented by asteroid Johannessen, which at 21 Pisces conjoins Neptune, ruler of film and fantasy, at 17 Pisces (though Neptune contacts can often result in disappointment, which would surely result if both nominations go down in flames), also in trine to Oskar.

 

Joining Scarlatti in Libra is asteroid Margot, for Margot Robbie, Johansson’s competition for Best Supporting Actress, nominated for her role as Kayla Pospisil in “Bombshell”. At 23 Libra, Margot is also trine Sun/Academia, and at station, turning retro on the 15^th. Margot Robbie is further represented by asteroid Robbia, which at 1 Aries, closely conjoined Venus at 2 Aries, might make her the popular choice.

 

In less emphatic placements, but still interacting with the Sun, are asteroids Pesch and Jonathan Murray, both at 19 Aries in tight sextile, and asteroid Cynthia at 22 Cancer, inconjunct. Pesch is closest phonetically to Joe Pesci, nominated for Best Supporting Actor as Russell Bufalino in “The Irishman.” Pesci is also represented by asteroid Josefa at 2 Scorpio, on the 8 Scorpio IC, and Josephina at 11 Capricorn, conjoined Jupiter at 15. This angularity and connection to the “Greater Benefic” could boost Joe Pesci over the top.

 

Sharing his 19 Aries post is asteroid Jonathan Murray, closest to Jonathan Pryce, nominated as Best Actor for his performance as Pope Francis in “Two Popes.” It’s hard to know how to weight a PNA that shares only a first name with its terrestrial counterpart, but it’s the best we have. As with Kathleen and Ronan, for Kathy Bates and Saoirse Ronan, these nominees are up for different categories, and not in direct competition with each other, or there would be a serious risk of them splitting their vote and throwing the victory to a third candidate, having such identical cosmic credentials.

 

Asteroid Cynthia at 22 Cancer represents Cynthia Erivo, nominated for Best Actress as Harriet Tubman in “Harriet”. Inconjunct Sun/Academia, Cynthia is also in trine to Oskar, so Erivo’s chances are good, but she’s up against some stiff celestial competition with Ronan and Johansson.

 

Also angular is asteroid Reni, closest to Renee Zellweger, up for Best Actress as Judy Garland in “Judy”. At 1 Scorpio, Reni conjoins the IC, and is also sextile to another grouping which can likewise indicate victory, namely, a triple conjunction of the Moon with asteroids Victoria and Nike, at 0, 1 and 3 Virgo respectively. Victoria and Nike are named for the Roman and Greek goddesses of victory, while the Moon brings powerful focus to these energies and represents public attention and acclaim. Robbia at 1 Aries also connects with this cluster, by inconjunct, perhaps enhancing Margot Robbie’s chances.

 

In a better position for an upset win is Joaquin Phoenix, nominated for Best Actor for the title role in “Joker.” At 0 Taurus, asteroid Joachim (the original Hebrew for “Joaquin”) conjoins Uranus at 3 Taurus and the MC at 8 Taurus, and is trine Moon/Victoria/Nike. Superhero (or in this case “Supervillain”) roles are not generally respected by the Academy, so Joaquin’s shot at Oscar gold seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Phoenix is also represented by asteroid Phoinix, which at 24 Pisces conjoins Neptune at 17, and is sextile the separating Saturn/Pluto conjunction at 23 and 26 Capricorn. That may be too intense a cosmic lineup, making connections between both PNAs with every planet from Saturn to Pluto, but there is a lot of power and drama there which might be capitalized upon.

 

In sextile to the lunar “victory stellium” is asteroid Leonardo at 5 Cancer, for Best Actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, up for his turn as Rick Dalton in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Leonardo is also exactly sesquiquadrate the Sun, which could make for a winning combination for DiCaprio. And in trine to Moon/Victoria/Nike is asteroid Adam at 4 Capricorn, for Adam Driver, competing with DiCaprio as Best Actor for his role as Charlie Barber in “Marriage Story”. From there Adam makes a Grand Trine with Uranus and is semisquare the Sun, so Driver could pull this off.

 

The final Best Actress nominee is Charlize Theron, up for the part of Megyn Kelly in “Bombshell”. Asteroid Charlois is the closest PNA we have for her; its exact conjunction with Mercury at 8 Pisces, ruling the voting process, may not be enough to bring her the win, but she could make a strong showing. Asteroid Actor standing close by at 3 Pisces could increase her prospects further, providing a natural conduit to the award she seeks. Regardless, having Actor opposed Nike and Victoria on the night the Oscars are presented is surely a testimony to the cosmos’ apt celestial rendition of terrestrial realities.

 

Also nominated for Best Supporting Actor are Tom Hanks (as Mr. Rogers in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”) and Al Pacino (as Jimmy Hoffa in “The Irishman”). Tom Hanks is the second Oscar nominee this year to have his own asteroid named for him; Tomhanks at 0 Aquarius is inconjunct the Moon/Victoria/Nike group, and broadly squared the MC at 8 Taurus, as well as Uranus at 3. Al Pacino’s given name is Alfredo, and asteroid Alfreda at 25 Aries is widely sextile Sun/Academia, and exactly trine Mars at 25 Sag, so he too has a shot.

 

Wrapping up the field are the remaining Best Supporting Actress nominees, Laura Dern (for her portrayal of Nora Fanshaw in “Marriage Story”) and Florence Pugh (as Amy March in “Little Women”). Dern is represented by asteroid Laura, which at 4 Aquarius mimics Tomhanks’ contacts, inconjunct the lunar “victory cluster” and squared Uranus. Florence Pugh has exact PNA matches for both names, with asteroid Florence at 16 Pisces conjoined Neptune and exactly trine Oskar, and asteroid Pugh at 29 Capricorn, bound up in the Saturn/Pluto conjunction as well as out-of-Sign connections with the Moon/Victoria/Nike and Uranus. Saturn/Pluto could result in professional recognition (Saturn) which is transformative (Pluto), as any Oscar win would be, but it can also manifest as limitation (Saturn) and devastating loss (Pluto).

 

One word about cosmic negation. The asteroid NOT often reveals itself as a roadblock to success or progress, a celestial nolle prosequi which prevents advancement or realization of goals. At 29 Cancer, NOT exactly opposes asteroid Pugh, and closely opposes Tomhanks, more broadly opposing Laura, and widely squaring Margot and Alfreda. That could be a signal that Florence Pugh, Tom Hanks, Laura Dern, Margot Robbie and Al Pacino are all out of the running.

 

There are precious few PNAs representing Best Picture nominees, not enough to rate the contenders. But I will say that “Ford v Ferrari” is looking good in isolation, with asteroid Ford at 15 Cancer trined Oskar and opposed Jupiter, and asteroid Ferrari at 3 Aries conjoined Venus.

 

Looking just at the day, without reference to natal charts and their potential or current transits, my Hot Picks for Oscar gold are Antonio Banderas for Best Actor, Brad Pitt for Best Supporting Actor, and Scarlett Johansson for something! She’s extremely unlikely to nab both awards for which she is competing, so as my second choice in both categories, I pick Saoirse Ronan for Best Actress and Kathy Bates for Best Supporting Actress, depending which award is unclaimed by Johansson.

 

Regardless of how this all plays out, it’s fascinating to see so many contenders being displayed prominently on the day, each with a shot at the prize. The multiplicity of solar contacts is especially striking (with fully 13 of the 20 acting nominees showing some degree of solar connection, in varying strengths), giving these actors their literal “day in the sun” as they compete for the highest award their profession offers. It may be too complex to determine the winners, but as always, it’s an honor just to be celestially nominated.

 

 

[Author’s Note: As usual, after the Oscars are awarded, we’ll revisit the ceremony, looking at the charts of the victors to see how natal factors and any PNAs for their winning roles may have affected the outcome.]